


The Amazing Adventures of Joe Jonas: boy cheerleader {House of Dreams}

by liketheroad



Series: Joe Jonas: boy cheerleader [5]
Category: Disney RPF
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-11
Updated: 2011-04-11
Packaged: 2017-10-17 22:51:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/182159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liketheroad/pseuds/liketheroad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>College, coffee shops, ice skating and scarves. A house and the four people who make it a home. (foursome undertones)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Amazing Adventures of Joe Jonas: boy cheerleader {House of Dreams}

The house is small, but cozy. It has a screened veranda in the back, and a set of front steps wide enough for the four of them to sit together in a row. The front hall leads into stairs on the left, the living room on the right, and down past the living room, there's a small kitchen that Joe and David like to attempt to make up new recipes in. Underneath the stairs is a camped bathroom and a largish bedroom that might once have been the dining room or study. The upstairs is even smaller, just the two bedrooms, side by side across the hallway, slanted ceilings and windows looking out onto the street on one side and the backyard Nick wants to garden in come spring on the other. There are two bathrooms, one for Demi upstairs and one for the boys downstairs. Sometimes Joe showers up there instead, but only because he and Demi use the same hair products anyways.

Technically, David and Nick share the larger bedroom on the first floor and Joe and Demi have their own rooms on the second.

In reality, the first floor bedroom belongs to Nick and Joe, while Demi and David take the room that's only supposed to belong to her. The third bedroom has a futon that folds out into a bed, and posters that Joe likes, and a TV, but mostly it's a second living room, a lazy place for David and Joe and Demi to hang out and smoke weed while Nick studies downstairs. Nick's always invited, but smoking isn't exactly what the basketball scholarship ordered. It's not something Joe necessarily wants for Nick, anyway, despite yearning fondly for how giggly pot would probably make him.

Not that it's something Joe's an expert on or anything. He's really only been smoking since they moved in. On the first night, David sat down on the futon beside Joe and Nick and held up a joint and a lighter, looked at Nick, waiting for him to nod, and then lit up once Nick did. Joe didn't try any that first night, he waited until he could ask Nick what he'd think about it, curled against each other in the dark. After Nick chuckled and told him, no, he wouldn't lose respect for Joe if he tried it, Joe took David up on his offer the next time he made it.

Joe likes it, not enough that he feels like he has anything to worry about, but he likes it. Likes the way the weed makes his skin hum, almost the way Nick's fingers do. He likes how everything seems a little funnier, a little more relaxed, all without having to do the work of making jokes or worry about keeping the conversation going. He likes that it's something he and David and Demi to together, like a bonding ritual, the nights after he and Demi are burnt out from studying and classes and David is tired and annoyed after a long day at work. They cuddle on the couch together, watching shows on the Discovery channel and eating candy, and Joe always wants to call Kevin during the ocean ones, wants to describe all the fascinating and blue things that are happening on screen he knows Kevin would appreciate.

It's not like Nick's completely left out of, either. Joe loves Demi and David, but he's always waiting, waiting, whenever Nick isn't with him. He doesn't typically have to wait too long, though, even on those occasions. Even Nick's stamina for reading a million pages of stuff he only sort of cares about has a limit, and he usually wanders over about an hour into whatever they're watching, once they've smoked up and passed around bags of skittles enough times that they're all full, and then Joe pushes Demi and David over more on the couch, holding out his arms to Nick and welcoming him in.

Joe gets kinda... extra handsy, when he's high, which is why it helps that Nick shows up when he does, cause it's usually around the time Joe's about ready to start putting his hands up people shirts - for _warmth_ , okay - and kissing faces. He doesn't usually want lips, when he's high. Just faces.

"Faaaaaaaaces," he says at Nick, blowing air into his ear and making Nick sputter and laugh, batting Joe away.

"I hate you so much," Nick says between laughter, directing his glare towards David, who is held responsible for Joe's stoned shenanigans cause he's the one who let Joe have it in the first place. That's Nick's logic, as far as Joe can tell.

"You love me, man," David contradicts Nick calmly, kissing the side of Demi's face and pleasing Joe.

"See! David knows," he informs Nick triumphantly.

Nick shakes his head and leans, holding out his cheek in for an obligatory peck. Joe licks his tongue up the whole side of Nick's face on principle. Nick elbows him and laughs harder.

It's nice, Joe reflects, as he tries to pin Nick to the couch for more face-licking, that it's not even weird anymore, to touch each other so openly in front of Demi and David. They'd always been... less careful around them than most people, but they've crossed all sorts of lines out now, even in public, but it started with David and Demi. The first time Nick kissed Joe in front of them, they'd just been standing in their new home, all looking around for the first time, and Joe had been so happy he hadn't known what to do with himself, so he'd looked at Nick, sharing a smile with him because he hadn't known what else to do, and Nick had walked right over and kissed Joe on the lips, hard. Demi and David hadn't even blinked. In fact, they'd just grinned at each other, and Demi had tipped David's chin down for a kiss of their own.

And right now, Demi is laughing and David is egging Joe own, shouting encouragement and suggestions about how to keep Nick from turning the tables and pinning Joe instead. Nick eventually succeeds, despite David's coaching, straddling Joe on the futon David and Demi abandoned when it became a site of battle and flying limbs.

"I win," Nick says, grinning smugly down at Joe, raising his arms in victory. "I win again."

Demi claps, and David says, "to the victor go the spoils," handing Nick Joe's diet coke like it's an epic trophy.

Nick takes it as his due, draining the can in a long series of gulps while Joe remains trapped beneath him, watching Nick's throat move with every swallow.

He hears Demi murmur something in David's ear, feels the shift in the air and knows they're about to leave, and even with Nick's weight against him, Joe finds the possibility unsettling. He pushes himself up, and Nick lets him, moving away easily, swinging his legs off Joe and then pulling him back in close so they're cuddling side by side.

"Stay for more movies," Joe says, making grabby hands at David as Demi tries to lead him unobtrusively out of the room. He's read the TV guide. There's totally a showing of _Finding Nemo_ on in half an hour. If they're not there, he might call Kevin and cry at him during the opening when the mom dies. Joe hates it when they kill the mom on cartoons.

"You sure?" Demi asks Joe, even as her eyes silently check with Nick.

"I'm sure!" Joe says, holding up an arm, an invitation for her to slide in on the other side of him. Nick nods, smiling over Joe's head at her and David.

"He thinks if you're here he won't cry during the start of Finding Nemo, but I actually know he'll do it anyway, and I need back up on that," Nick says, voice warm and impossibly fond in Joe's ear.

They agree, and Demi settles in around Joe, while David piles together with Nick on the other side of the futon, and they all cuddle together like that, watching the end of an episode of Friends as they wait to comfort Joe about the death of computer generated marine life.

\---

David's the one with the most regular schedule, and he also has to get up the earliest to go to work, so he's usually the one who makes the coffee. Sometimes Joe stays in bed later even though he's already awake, because the coffee also always tastes the best when David makes this. Although he doesn't tell Nick this. He'd be getting up at five everyday trying to perfect his skills. Joe has other things he'd rather Nick be doing with his time. On days when David shift starts a little later, he combines his superior coffee with his famous four cheese omelets and mysteriously perfect crispy bacon. This blessed occurrence happens with the most predictability on Tuesdays, when David doesn't have work and none of them have classes. A happy coincidence of their schedules. Before breakfast, but after coffee, every morning, Nick and Joe get up early to bundle up and jog along the frozen lake.

But after breakfast, the last two Tuesdays, they've been going back to the lake with Demi and David, because Demi doesn't know how to ice skate but has been trying to learn.

She's surprisingly bad at it, considering how coordinated Demi is on solid ground, and Joe can tell she's frustrated by it. Or that might just be Nick's projection and dissatisfaction with his own inability to teach her to be an instant skating star. Joe's guessing it's a little out of column A, a little out of column B.

Joe sips hot chocolate from the thermos he and David are sharing, passing it back to him when he's done. It's a crisp day, not cold enough to be unpleasant, and Joe's fingers are warm enough from the thermos that he doesn't need to put up the mitten flap over his fingerless gloves. Beside him, sitting on the bench at the edge of the shoveled off portion of the lake, David isn't even wearing gloves, just his unzipped puffy winter coat and a too-tight black toque, which is only half pulled onto his head. He looks ridiculous, but, then, Joe is wearing knee-high boots with laces crisscrossing up his calves, a long wool coat that he and Demi found in the women's section, and a maroon and gold scarf Demi's mom made for him for Christmas. So it's possible Joe shouldn't be casting stones.

Demi almost wipes out again, and Nick catches her, impressing Joe by managing not to bellow as he attempts to say something encouraging. David and Joe smile at each other, watching.

The wind picks up, and David throws an arm over Joe's shoulder, pulling him in closer. Nick and Demi slowly skate over, and Nick helps Demi hobble carefully off the ice and over to the bench where David and Joe sit.

Both Demi and Nick's cheeks are pink from the wind and cold, and Demi silently demands the thermos and David hands it to her, putting his other arm around her shoulders. "Looking good out there, babe," he says approvingly, kissing her hair.

She scoffs, unstrapping her skates and sliding into her boots, but Nick nods bracingly. "Her form's getting better. She just has to trust herself more."

"You should let me help," Joe says, smiling a secret, sympathetic smile in Demi's direction. He's been on her end of enough lessons from Nick that he's guessing she could stand to have a different teacher for awhile.

Demi smiles back at Joe, gratitude and amusement warring in her eyes, but she shakes her head. "Not today, anyway. My ankles are killing me."

David makes a sad sound on her behalf, immediately leaning down and massaging her nearest ankle.

She sighs happily, shifting so that she's leaning against Nick's stomach with her feet swung onto David's lap. Nick tucks his arms around her waist, folding his hands in Demi's lap and smiling at Joe. He leans in closer to David, imagining he and Nick can share each other's warmth through their two friends, and smiles back.

\---

Apparently one of the ways Nick convinced their parents renting the house instead of just getting him a dorm room was great idea had to do with the proximity to an actual kitchen instead of cafeteria food. Joe wanted to high-five him for finally using the diabetes card to his advantage, something Nick had been frustratingly principled about pretty much the entire duration of his disease, but he hadn't really expected it to play out like Nick had described to their parents.

When Joe was on his own, he mostly lived off of day-old scones and muffins from the coffee shop he and Demi frequented, when he remembered to eat at all. Coffee and red bull had done the rest.

But now, with the combination of their kitchen and David, Joe's enjoying three square meals a day. David isn't always the one who cooks, Joe is his assistant and sometimes replacement when David's working too late, but Joe's been learning with him, and he finds himself strangely comforted and relaxed by the process of cooking. He likes the satisfaction of filling up the house with the delicious smells of the food he's making, likes the way the rest of the household inevitably wanders in, smelling appreciatively and gathering around the kitchen table, sitting and talking while he works.

Demi and Nick sometimes spread out their books on the table and study while Joe and David cook, and on the days when David's home late and feet are sore, he props them on a near-by lap and just orders Joe around from the comfort of his lounging position.

Every Thursday since they moved in, has Joe attempting a new variety of lasagna. This week's is four cheese vegetarian with a white sauce.

Nick is drawn in first, carrying his open chemistry textbook against his chest, inhaling deeply.

"Smells awesome, Joe," he says, giving Joe a thumbs up.

Joe smiles, waving him over and holding out a spoon dipped in the sauce for Nick to try. Nick makes an approving sound low in his throat and Joe puts the spoon down to hold Nick's face with both hands when he kisses him.

Demi comes in while their lips are still touching, and Joe's eyes fly open, watching her watch them, head tilted, a small smile on her face. He kisses Nick again, eyes locked with Demi, and her smile changes, but doesn't go away. Nick digs his fingers into Joe's sides, his books falling to the ground between their feet, lips urging Joe to keep kissing him. Joe shuts his eyes, kissing Nick once more before pulling away.

Nick makes a half-growl of protest, but Demi announces herself from behind him, saying, "Can't let the sauce burn, Nick J." He turns around, grinning at her.

"Guess not," he agrees, bending down to retrieve his book.

She takes a seat at the table and Nick joins her, using one of the pencils scattered across the table to mark his place. 

"Why are you taking Chemistry when you want to be a lawyer and fight the lions of injustice?" _and win all the time_ , Joe fills in as he listens to Demi speak.

"You have to take a science credit," Nick explains, not for the first time. They've had this discussion before. As usual, he misses the point.

Demi laughs. "Yeah, but you could have taken a nice fake science like me and Joe did."

Joe shakes his head, not even needing to look to see the mildly scandalized expression on Nick's face. "The history of science isn't fake, Demi." For reasons that still aren't clear to Joe, Nick has a real fondness for a little historical and biographical background with his science.

She pats Nick's shoulder. "You know what I mean."

Joe's not entirely sure Nick does. "He would have taken physics, Demi, or the next hardest thing after that, but Chemistry was the most challenging science option that fit into Nick's schedule he was allowed to take as a freshmen. That's why he's taking it."

Nick waves a, "see!" hand at Demi while she shakes her head at Nick. "You need to loosen up, Nicky."

"I'm loose," Nick insists, closing his book like that'll prove his point.

In about 15 seconds, Joe hears Nick start to drum his fingers on the table, and he throws his head back and laughs.

"Leave him alone, Dem. Nick's allowed to be a work-aholic. We love him anyway."

Demi leans over, rolling her eyes fondly as she puts her hand over Nick's and squeezes. "Well I certainly wasn't disputing _that_."

Nick turns his hand around, and he and Demi lace their fingers together while Joe stirs the sauce and hums a tune he's making up as he goes along.

\---

Whenever David comes home, he kicks off his shoes haphazardly and, while he aims for the hook on the wall with his coat, he often misses, and it falls to the floor along with the trail of scarf, mitts and hat he tends to leave behind.

Demi yells at him and Joe doesn't care, but Nick just silently follows after David, picking up after him and smiling to himself. Joe's learning, now that they're all here together, the rhythms of David and Nick's friendship. All the quiet ways they make life easier for the other, make life better. In addition to his impressive ability to get Nick to nap, Joe is discovering David can get Nick to crack a smile with almost as much surety as Joe. He can talk Nick out of the tense ball of frustration he sometimes comes home in after a basketball practice, he can ask Nick about his levels when Nick's in a bad mood with just enough snark mixed in with the worry that Nick doesn't snap at him, angrier than ever.

Nick's good for David too, Joe's figuring that out as he figures David out. For Demi, Joe knows David would want to make something of himself. To be someone, despite his stoner inclinations and his rather aimless, meandering approach to life. Joe understands being driven by a person instead of a set of goals one's built from the inside, and he thinks he understands that about David, maybe most of all. Demi's someone to work hard for. Someone worth doing whatever it takes to make proud. But little by little, Nick's the one who's helping David figure out how he might do that. Giving him advice, pushing him in subtle, but persistent ways. It's not his life's ambition, but by February, David's on his way to being assistant manager of the Sports Check he works at, and he's coaching again, which Joe can tell makes him happy. And Nick's the one who asks him how his shift went everyday, Nick's the one who can talk to David about the new stock they have coming in for hours, the one who'll sit down with him and work on coaching strategies until the wee hours of the night while Demi and Joe sleep curled up on the couch waiting for them. They have balance, a way of fitting together that Joe knows comes from an unconditional trust, love. He feels it for Nick, and for Demi, and day by day, he's feeling it for David too.

Joe doesn't bring his pom-poms, like he does for Nick's, when they go to see the games David's kids play, but he and Demi collaborate on homemade signs and they hold them up together, waving and cheering, while Nick stands beside them, a huge, proud grin on his face, hands poised and ready to clap whenever needed.

David is a slightly more effusive, but no more genuine, member of the Nick J cheering section at all of Nick's basketball games. He joins Demi and Joe in on their coordinated cheers, waving a foam finger instead of pom-poms. While he doesn't deck himself out in full regalia like Demi and Joe do, still proudly emblazoning their backs with their number 1 and 2 high school uniforms, David shows his colours with a matching headband and a T-shirt they had made for him that reads _Nick J is off the chain_.

After every game, win or lose, they take Nick out for burgers and milkshakes, getting two chocolate, one vanilla and one strawberry and passing them back and forth, trading sips like always. And like the old times that are new again, Joe orders onion rings and Nick orders fries, and they eat off each other's plates while Demi and David share each other's Cesar salad and poutine. It's familiar, feels like home, but it's better, too, because instead of just Demi and David's linked hands on top of the diner table, Joe and Nick's twined fingers are visible too, as they all play footsie with each other below.

\---

Nick doesn't really like coffee, which is probably why he's so bad at making it, but he comes along on the almost daily sojourn Demi and Joe take from campus to the coffee shop. He'll usually get a hot tea, sipping it quietly while Demi holds court and Joe snuggles in against Nick, watching her.

Demi's friends, as predicted, are crazy about Nick, cooing over him and trying to get him to flex while they wrap their fingers around his forearms, but he endures it with blushing, confused laughter, and Joe knows he does it for Demi. They all do their best to make nice with Demi's friends, even if they still feel that way, like they're separate, even now. David charms them, and Joe pretends he's one of them, and Nick lets them make a big deal of his ringlets and crooked teeth, because they're Demi's friends and they're glad she has them. It's good that she has that, has other people. A group of girl-friends to go dancing with, to call up and complain to when living in a house with three boys inevitably starts to drive her crazy.

Sometimes Joe goes dancing too; he can close his eyes and pretend the music and the pulsating crowd is an arena full of screaming fans, that the thumping of the feet on the dance floor is a basketball team running. He can throw his hands in the air, waving them around like he totally cares. His favorite is the cab rides home, though, sweaty and exhausted, collapsed against Demi in the backseat.

David and Nick always wait up for them those nights, playing video games in the downstairs living room, watching movies and bad TV. Sometimes when they get home, faces still flushed and beaming, hands knotted together, David will be half-asleep on Nick's shoulder, their arms flung carelessly around each other, mouths hanging open in perpetual yawns. Those nights, when they look too comfortable to move, Joe and Demi just shuck off the majority of their party clothes, leaving them in a pile beside the couch and climbing in under the blankets with Nick and David, curling up on their respective sides and falling quickly, happily, to sleep.

\---

They don't have parties, but sometimes some of the guys from Nick's basketball team and some of the people from Demi's theater classes come over for movies and food. They usually turn out more like dinner parties than anything else, which is pretty hilarious when the guests are a combination of theater nerds and 6 foot tall jocks. Nick's the shortest guy on the team, much to Joe's delight, considering that Nick's been bragging about being the taller one since puberty shot him up a few inches past Joe when Nick was 15.

Joe guesses maybe they're just not the ones Nick invites home, but he likes that the guys from the team he has met are cool with the fact that Nick's dating another dude, not to mention a dude who regularly wears a skirt. Joe hasn't branched out into dresses, he doesn't really think he has the form for it, but even in the cold of February, he's still rocking the pleated skirts and leg warmers over leggings. It's not exactly the kind get-up he expects college sports stars to be any more a fan of than high school ones, but whenever they come over, or pass by Joe on his way to visit Nick after a practice, all Nick's teammates just grin at him, waving hellos and occasionally initiating a high five.

They're nice guys, and they clearly all look up to Nick, which Joe can appreciate. They even get along with Demi's theater friends, and the evenings always turn out well, with mellow music and relaxed conversations.

It makes him nervous, though, at the same time, to have people in their house. It's a private world, safe and cocooned, and sometimes he's afraid visitors will see more than he'd like. It's wonderful, being able to hold Nick's hand, to kiss him whenever Joe likes, but there's still always a prickle of worry at the back of Joe's neck, in his throat, right before he does it. Nick reaches for him thoughtlessly, constantly, and Joe's glad he doesn't seem to even need to blink before he pulls Joe to him, regardless of where they are. But Joe can still feel the sharp pain of a fist connecting with his face, can still hear the taunts issued so automatically, with such deep, instant scorn. Even if they never get caught - exposed for anything other than two boys in love - there's a danger just in that that Joe knows he'll never be quite able to forget.

So he likes it best when it's just the four of them at home, tangled up in each other, watching the same TV shows over and over, falling asleep on each other's shoulders, arms and hands linked together.

\---

Nick and Joe have a lot of their classes on the same day, careful planning on Nick's part, and when they overlap and can meet up in the same building for a break, Nick always carries Joe's books for him. He probably doesn't even really realize he's doing it, or at least how weird it is. Nick just does it with the same unthinking care and devotion he applies to all the aspects of his relationship with Joe, always steady, always finding small and countless ways to hold Joe up.

Occasionally Joe experiments, bringing more books than necessary, piled high just to watch Nick balance them all. Demi thinks it's juvenile, and disapproves, but they're still brothers, after all. Boyfriend or no, Joe still has older brother duties to attend to, in addition to his others, and sometimes teasing Nick and giving him a hard time is just part of Joe's job description.

They're on their way to Joe's English class, and Nick is schelpping his own backpack full of books in addition to Joe's entire reading list, stacked precariously and clutched to Nick's chest.

Joe tries not to smile too big, walking beside Nick and catching the corner of his eye every so often, just happy to be with him.

"You really need all these today?" Nick asks, not even suspicious of Joe, just wondering about the practicality of it all.

Joe nods innocently, hiking up his skirt a little when it starts to ride too low on his hips. Nick takes a minute to stare appreciatively at the sliver of bare skin that's revealed before Joe covers it back up.

They reach the door, and Nick walks right in, setting Joe's books down at what he has come to know is Joe's seat. He doesn't leave, waiting with his arms folded patiently for Joe to take off his cardigan and get settled, before Nick bends down and kisses Joe lightly.

"Love you," Nick says, casual, but still clearly feeling the thrill of saying that in public, having it mean all the things he's had to pretend for so long that it didn't. Nick says it all the time, now, where he was once close-lipped, reserved about voicing that particular claim of affection. Joe had believed it to be shyness, but he understands different now.

Joe smiles back, leaning up for another quick kiss, and says, "I love you too."

He watches Nick leave, still smiling, until he hears the person behind him make a disgusted snort. He snaps around, not knowing what he expects, but surprised to see it's a girl, thick black glasses and short orange hair, looking at him pityingly.

"You don't have to take that, you know," she says, her voice smug and snotty.

Joe knits his eyebrows together, honestly at a loss for what she could even be talking about.

"I'm sorry?"

She shakes her head. "You're not the one who should be sorry." She straightens in her seat, leaning forward to put a hand on Joe's arm. He eyes it, wanting to shake her away. "Just because you're..." she waves her other hand up and down at Joe, "that way - it doesn't mean that block-head should get to treat you like you're his little women, okay? This is 2010, not, 1950."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Joe hisses, pulling away sharply, as if burned. He twists back in his seat, face burning. He stares stubbornly at the front of the room, feeling hot, furious, and doesn't turn back around for the rest of the class.

\---

Joe feels prickly, exposed, for the rest of the day, and he walks home instead of taking the bus, not wanting to be around that many people, to have so many eyes on him. He's alone for awhile, pacing in the living room, but he rants to David about it when he as soon as he gets home from work. It's a Tuesday, so Demi has a late class and Nick's in the Chem lab most of the night.

"And she said it like I'm some kind of a... I don't know what!" Joe shouts, still equal parts confused and outraged. He's been yelling and pacing and waving his hands for almost 20 minutes now, while David's been watching, mostly silently, making the occasional outraged noise on Joe's behalf.

David nods sympathetically, tapping out the bowl on the bong and blowing the remaining ash away. "That's balls. Screw that chick. Nick treats you just like you deserve to be treated," he packs the bowl, and hands the bong to Joe, who takes it, lighting it and inhaling steadily, "like a treasure," David finishes, giving Joe an approving slap on the back when he exhales without coughing.

He does laugh though, as soon as all the smoke is out of his lungs, "A treasure?" He smirks. David watches a lot of _Arrested Development_. "What, am I a once in a life-time woman, Dave?"

David grins, not looking particularly embarrassed to be saying something too cheesy. "Hell yeah. You and Demi," his grin softens, becoming something earnest, sweet, "you're our once in a life-times."

\---

By the time Nick and Demi come home, Joe and David are at the stage of being stoned when they're not even really talking anymore. They're just lying like sardines on the couch, Joe's head half in in David's lap, both staring at the ceiling and being impressed with the way the shadows move across it.

Demi tisks and asks if they even saved her any and Nick shakes his head, exasperated but amused.

"I thought you had a paper to finish," he says, coming right down to sit on the couch, moving their legs so he has room.

Joe makes himself sit up, with a little help in the form of a push from David so that he's propelled forward, falling into Nick's side, and he nestles there happily. "You're home." He breathes Nick in, not minding that he smells like mothballs and chemicals.

"I'm home," Nick agrees, patting Joe's head.

Joe closes his eyes, but he can hear the bubbling of the bong water, and reopens his eyes to catch Demi's trademark exhale through her nose. It's way too cute to miss. She coughs a little, pounding her chest, and David leans in immediately, rubbing her back. She elbows him away, telling him she's fine, but David nips at her ear, just once, before he withdraws.

"Paper?" Nick asks again, poking Joe in the side.

He makes a face, and David answers for him, "JJ had a bit of an incident with the mundanes. This is a cheer-up session."

Nick is automatically tense, alarmed, but Joe pats him placating. "Some girl was trying to liberate me or some shit. Not a big deal."

Demi's face is the one who darkens then, and she climbs right over David to sit in Joe's lap. "Don't listen to that shit, Joe. I mean it. You know who you are. We love you."

Joe smiles, warm and happy; not even reassurance anymore, but appreciating it anyway. He holds out his face, meaning for her to just press their forehead together, but Demi checks quickly with Nick, and he must nod, or something, because she leans in, kissing Joe softly.

"I love you, Joe," she promises, and he smiles against her lips, not even thinking about it, just kissing her again.

It's nothing like kissing Nick, nothing like the charged, dizzying sensation that accompanies their every touch, but it's something good, special, it its own right. Kissing Demi feels like summertime and home, and he closes his eyes, loses track of how long he's been kissing her, until finally he feels a hand on his arm, and it's David, and then Demi's kissing him one last time and crawling off his lap, making room for David to slide in around Joe. He feels Nick at his back, holding him by his hips, resting his face in between Joe's shoulder-blades, and he's intensely aware of Nick there, his presence, his breath, as David takes his turn pressing his lips against Joe's. David's kisses are different than Demi's, playfully aggressive where hers were slow and sly and sweet, and Joe is pushed closer against Nick's as David's hands sink deeper into Joe's hair, kissing him harder.

They keep kissing until Nick makes a low sound, not of protest, but of want, and Joe is his immediately, tearing his lips from David's and only pausing to smile at him quickly before twisting around, out David's arms and into Nick's. Nick stares hard at Joe, pupils dilated, face a mix of want and need, need to remind Joe of whose he is. Joe doesn't waste time, kissing Nick hard and fast and sure. Nick hauls Joe onto his lap, his hands sliding down, cupping Joe's ass, holding him in place, and Joe grinds on top of him, lost to anything but Nick.

Distantly, he hears David and Demi kissing too, and he doesn't have time to think, or worry about what it means, but even as Nick's lips and hands are on him, reminding Joe there's only one thing in the world he truly needs, he's glad, in his heart where he can feel and not think, that they don't leave. Glad that, in this, like everything else, they can be together.


End file.
